Since he’s only twenty-six years old, there’s not much to Gideon Simcoe’s story. The real story belongs to ‘Old Paint’, the Excalibur BattleMech that has been in his family for better than three centuries. Arturo Peralta, the first Mechwarrior in Gideon’s family piloted this ‘Mech while serving in the SLDF’s 173rd Battlemech Division. Peralta, along with two dozen Mechwarriors of the 173rd did not to follow Kerensky on his Exodus, choosing instead to aid their native Federated Suns in the coming struggles. As the Second Succession War came to an end, only three of the original twenty-four survived. Thus decimated, the survivors settled on Kilbourne, serving in the planetary militia when needed .

‘Old Paint’ has gone through a number of changes during the past three hundred years. The first was the loss of the Gauss Rifle which was replaced by an AC/20 and later an AC/10. When parts for the 350 XL could no longer be found, it was replaced with a standard 280 plant. The Anti-Missile system disappeared along with Artemis FCS. A number of different missile launchers graced the space once occupied by the LRM-20. Over the course of time, nearly every part, whether due to combat loss or simple wear, had been replaced. And many other weapons systems graced the chassis of ‘Old Paint’ ranging from small missile launchers to flamers to a variety of lasers.

When Gideon graduated from the Kilbourne Academy in 3061, his father Malcolm, gifted him with ‘Old Paint’ before he began his time serving with the Kilbourne DMM. His father, a rather wealthy man was able to secure a number of modern weapons and parts to bring ‘Old Paint’ closer to its original specifications. With all the new technology fo the past dozen years, parts for the 350 XL once again became available. Refurbished, it replaced the 280 engine and allowed the installation of a Streak SRM-2 and a new Artemis IV-capable targeting system. The LRM-15 launcher had to be replaced with an   LRM-1O. ‘Old Paint’ has gained three tons of much needed armor over the course of its existence and is   now a very capable BattleMech.

In April of 3063, the Civil War came to Kilbourne. The surprise assault by the First Crucis Lancers caught many in the Militia completely unprepared. When Marshal Rand-Davion gave the Militia the chance to surrender, Gideon was one of the first to do so, not out of cowardice, but out of belief that the war was not his to fight. As the Lancers left to pursue the war, Gideon was allowed to serve as part of the garrison force left behind to maintain order on Kilbourne. Disgraced by his son’s perceived cowardice, his father, a Loyalist, disowned Gideon and attempted to seize ‘Old Paint’. However the garrison commanded stopped him using the provision of the Emergency Powers Act.

Four years later, Gideon Peralta, having changed his name, heeded the call to rebuild the First Crucis Lancers and is now on his way to Nanking.

Swap Gauss Rifle for AC/10 [Equipment Swap 1, 2 points]
Swap LRM-20 w/Artemis for LRM-15 w/Artemis and two Medium Lasers [Equipment Swap 2, 3 points]
Swap AMS for Streak SRM-2 [Equipment Swap 1, 2 points]
Add one Machine Gun [Weapon Addition 1, 1 point]
Add three tons of armor [Free]